ing those around him, by solemn precept and memorable example, by what means alone humanity, conscious of its own frailty, can sustain that prospect with humble serenity.

From "Blackwood's Magazine," and "The Literary Gazette,"

313

No. XXVI.

SIR BENJAMIN HALLOWELL CAREW, G.C.B.,

K.St.F.M.

ADMIRAL OF THE BLUE.

By the death of this gallant officer the country has been deprived of one of the only three surviving heroes who commanded ships at the battle of the Nile.

Sir Benjamin was the son of Benjamin Hallowell, Esq. the last surviving Commissioner of the American Board of Customs, who died at York in Upper Canada, March 28th, 1799.

He was born in Canada, in 1760, entered the navy in his boyish days, and was serving as Lieutenant on board the Alcide, 74, in the action off the Chesapeak. He shortly afterwards went to the West Indies in the Alfred, 74, commanded by Captain Bayn, who, after acting a glorious part in the actions of the 9th and 12th of April, 1782, under Rodney, was killed on the latter day. Hallowell himself received a contusion, but did not report it, so that he kept to his duty, and actively assisted in the subsequent pursuit and capture of two sail of the line, a frigate, and a corvette.

In 1791 he was promoted to the rank of Commander, and appointed to the Scorpion, a sloop of war of 16 guns, in which ship he was very serviceable by his activity and humanity to the new colonies on the coast of Western Africa. During a great part of the time he remained on that station he was under the orders of Captain I. N. Inglefield, so celebrated by his memorable escape from the wreck of the Centaur; and such was the friendship that arose, that he afterwards married his Commodore's daughter. From the Scorpion he

was removed into the Camel, a store-ship of 20 guns, attached to Lord Hood's fleet, in which he sailed to the Mediterranean, in 1793. He was not a man likely to remain unnoticed by such a commander as Hood, and was accordingly soon placed in the Robust, 74, as her acting Captain. Having acted also in this capacity on board the Leviathan and Swiftsure, he was at length promoted to post rank, by commission, dated August 30th, 1793.

Captain Hallowell next served as a volunteer under Nelson, at the sieges of Bastia and Calvi, and for his exertions on those occasions was rewarded by the command of the Lowestoffe frigate. From this ship he was re-appointed to the Courageux, and commanded her till December, 1796, when she was driven out of Gibraltar Bay, in a furious gale, and dashed to pieces under Ape's Hill, on the opposite coast of Barbary, with the loss of 470 of her crew. The Captain, who had been attending a court-martial, and thereby escaped the fate of his unfortunate shipmates, now joined the Victory, Sir J. Jervis's flag-ship, and served as a volunteer in the action off Cape St. Vincent, with such credit, that he was sent home with duplicates of the despatches. This procured him the command of the Lively, a frigate of 32 guns, in which ship he returned to the Mediterranean, where he was afterwards removed into the Swiftsure, of 74 guns, placed under the orders of Nelson, and took a distinguished part in gaining the laurels of the Nile. Having been ordered to reconnoitre the port of Alexandria, he was not present at the commencement of the battle, nor until it was quite dark; but, guided only by the fire of the contending fleets, he joined the conflict shortly after eight, taking the place which had been evacuated by the Bellerophon, and immediately commenced a well directed fire on the quarter of the Franklin and bow of L'Orient, which mainly contributed to the blowing up of the latter majestic ship. After that awful event, the conflict was recommenced by the Franklin, and Captain Hallowell assisted the Defence and Leander in reducing her to sub

mission. The loss sustained by the Swiftsure in the battle. was 7 men killed, and 22 wounded.

On the 8th of August Captain Hallowell took possession of the island of Aboukir; and on the 10th captured La Fortune, corvette of 16 guns. On the same day Sir Horatio Nelson, in a letter to Earl St. Vincent, remarked, "I should have sunk under the fatigue of refitting the squadron, but for Trowbridge, Ball, Hood, and Hallowell; not but all have done well, but these are my supporters." From a part of the mainmast of L'Orient, which was picked up by the Swiftsure, Captain Hallowell directed his carpenter to make a coffin, which he afterwards sent to his old friend and commander, Nelson, with the following letter:-"Sir, I have taken the liberty of presenting you with a coffin, made from the mainmast of L'Orient, that when you have finished your military career in this world, you may be buried in one of your trophies. But that that period may be far distant is the earnest wish of your sincere friend, BENJAMIN HALLOWELL." This singular present was received in the spirit with which it was sent. Nelson placed it upright against the bulkhead of his cabin, behind the chair he sat in at dinner, where it remained for some time, until his favourite servant prevailed upon him to have it removed; and in this identical coffin the remains of the lamented hero were finally deposited.*

Captain Hallowell remained in the Levant till the spring of 1799, when he rejoined Lord Nelson at Palermo, whither the Neapolitan court had fled. From thence he was despatched to the Bay of Naples, to fan any remaining embers of loyalty, and served under Trowbridge in the reduction of the Castle of St. Elmo, and the fortress of Capua, for which successful result he was honoured with the cross of the order of St. Ferdinand and Merit. He was directed to join the squadron under Sir J. Duckworth, and cruised for some months off the coasts of Spain and Portugal, and at last

This part of the mast of L'Orient is preserved in St. Paul's Church; and a portion of that of the Victory, in which the hero fell, is placed in St. George's Hall, at Windsor Castle, as a pedestal to Nelson's bust.

caught part of a convoy bound from Cadiz to Lima, with quicksilver. He then carried Sir R. Bickerton to Egypt, and bore his flag for a time. In June, 1801, being on his return to Malta, with a convoy, he heard that a strong French squadron, under the well-known Gantheaume, was in the vicinity. After an anxious consideration, he was induced to quit the vessels under his charge, as a secondary object, and endeavoured to hasten on and reinforce Rear Admiral Sir J. B. Warren: but he unfortunately fell in with the enemy; and the Swiftsure, being leaky and foul, and nearly 100 men short of complement, was in no condition either for flying or for fighting. Thus circumstanced, Hallowell decided on engaging the two leeward ships, as his only chance of escape was the getting off in that direction, if he crippled his antagonists. Escape, however, was out of the question; for besides the fearful odds before him in force, the French commanders were men of remarkable bravery and talent. The Indivisible of 80 guns, bearing Gantheaume's flag, and the Dix-Août, a heavy 74, commanded by the well-known and active Bergeret, being in close order, opened their fire within half gun-shot of the poor old Swiftsure. She, however, though there was no hope, behaved nobly. A severe action ensued, and continued for upwards of an hour, when, finding every effort to get to leeward baffled, and two other line-of-battle ships fetching into his wake, Captain Hallowell was compelled to strike, and with pain, as he expresses himself, "ordered the colours which he could no longer defend to be hauled down."

During the peace of Amiens Captain Hallowell was stationed as Commodore off the coast of Africa, with his broad pendant on board the Argo, a little two-decker of 44 guns. Returning from this station by way of Barbadoes, and learning that hostilities were likely to be renewed with France, he offered his services to Sir Samuel Hood, and shared in the reduction of St. Lucia and Tobago, at which last place, while the Venus frigate attacked the main battery in Great Courland Bay, Hallowell superintended the landing of the troops during the fire; and after the final disembarkation, he pro